Visit to the States

Since I wouldn’t be able to go home this Christmas due to the squatter inside my belly, I decided to go back to the States for two weeks to see family and friends and also to do a little shopping for baby stuff.

My first week was spent in Wisconsin up at my parent’s cabin on a lake. The second week was spent in Colorado minus a few days driving across the country with my sister and her three small children. I figured that I’d get a free ride to Denver as well as a crash course in parenting.

The main lesson I learned was that if you have to drive more than 2 hours with children, make sure you have a DVD player in the car. The parent who first thought of bringing a DVD player into the car was truly brilliant. Actually, I was quite surprised that the trip went so well. I guess it helped that we were in a vehicle the size of my living room and my sister has good kids.

One of the things I love about going home is getting the chance to eat all of the foods that I can’t get here in Europe. I made sure to thoroughly gorge myself on corn tortillas, green chilies and fish tacos. The Mexican food options in Germany pale in comparison to the variety you can get in the States. I also continued my obsession with ice cream and got my fill of flavors that I can’t find here in Germany. (A note to those of you who were concerned that I wasn’t gaining enough weight in the first 5 months of my pregnancy, you need not worry!)

Unfortunately the weather up in the north woods of Wisconsin didn’t cooperate. It was generally in the high 60s or low 70s so we really didn’t spend any time in the water. We took a lot of walks, played games and did a lot of cooking and eating.

My nephew, Cole, started a 2 square competition and we all discovered a new side of our mother – the cut throat 2 square queen. Who knew my sweet mother could be so ruthless? She’s the Serena Williams of 2 square and had us all running from one side to the other with her killer corner shots.

Cole was also a big fan of baseball. However, I quickly discovered why no one wanted to be the pitcher. Cole can really hit! After the waffle ball skimmed my head, I started the technique of pitching and then promptly spinning around and ducking down to protect important body parts like my head.

Thankfully, I was able to relax and rest up in the north woods of Wisconsin before embarking on the baby shopping mania which consumed my entire time in Denver. Who knew that something so small needed so much stuff? This poor baby is going to have to sleep outside on the balcony because once I put all this stuff in her room, there won’t be any more room for her.

My time in Denver was far too short and being there reminded me why I loved it so much in the first place. I really miss the mountains (not that I got to spend any time there but I could see them from the Babies R Us parking lot.) I also really miss the huge selection of restaurants. Bonn doesn’t have a huge variety of quality restaurants. There are a few decent Italian places and a token Thai place but that is about it for a non German food lover like me. The grocery stores were also an eye opening experience. Compared to the tiny grocery stores I frequent in Bonn with their narrow aisles, unpredictable product availability, and fruit fly infested produce sections, I felt like every grocery store I went into was a high end Whole Foods. Even the Wauwatosa Pick N Save seemed glamorous.

Of course, besides the mountains, good restaurants and clean grocery stores, what I miss the most about Denver is getting to see my family and friends and it was great to spend a little bit of time with them. My friends threw me a great, low-key baby shower, and I got to have a couple really nice meals with friends and family.

On the way home, I got a nice surprise on my flight (no, I didn't get bumped up to business class). I got to feel the baby kicking for the first time. I think she was actually kicking in response to the bad airline food but I can't be sure.